In what is being deemed “dunk of the year,” Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony “Ant-Man” Edwards has become a sensation after scoring an impressive basket for his team at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Monday night.
Edwards slam dunked in the second half of the Timberwolves’ 114-104 win over the Utah Jazz, according to Yahoo! Sports.
In fact, Edwards — who stands at 6-foot-4 — executed the dunk with such intensity that, according to Sports Illustrated, he dislocated his finger during the action.
Video of his impressive slam dunk shows Edwards pushing Jazz forward John Collins down with his left hand as he accelerated and elevated into his winning move.
ANTHONY EDWARDS ELEVATES FOR THE EMPHATIC POSTER 😱
Timberwolves-Jazz | Live on the NBA App
📲 https://t.co/giqnSGLWqt pic.twitter.com/CcSJsLs2sk— NBA (@NBA) March 19, 2024
Edwards drew a foul on the play — which injured both him and Collins, according to Yahoo. Edwards remained in the game.
WE’LL JUST LEAVE THIS HERE. pic.twitter.com/Uak7YZzJIt
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) March 19, 2024
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He reportedly went to the locker room and popped the dislocated finger back into place, taped two fingers together to secure the injured digit, and then returned to finish out the game, scoring 32 points to help secure his team’s victory against the Jazz.
Collins, on the other hand, exited the game with a head contusion but was able to steer clear of a concussion.
The move drew plenty of attention over social media.
On X, several memes circulated. One meme compared a scene from the basketball play to Northern Renaissance artist Dieric Bouts’ iconic work of art “The Resurrection” (circa 1480).
The Resurrection, by Dieric Bouts, 1480, 📸 by @FranManzano__ https://t.co/P8BlwwuHXf pic.twitter.com/2MItBbQ2Ew
— ArtButMakeItSports (@ArtButSports) March 19, 2024
Another post compared the move to a scene from “Family Guy” in which Peter slam dunks a ball and ends up crushing his daughter Meg.
John Collins: exists
Anthony Edwards : pic.twitter.com/22IqwcgQsO
— At The Buzzer (@AtTheBuzzer1) March 19, 2024
After the game, Edwards watched a replay of his move on a court side screen during an interview with a member of the media. [Warning, the video does include langue some readers may find offensive.]
“Oh my God. Hey, that’s my best dunk of my career, I’m not going to lie,” Edwards said. “I couldn’t even react because I dislocated my finger.”
Edwards, who was a top pick in the NBA 2020 draft, agreed to a five-year, $260 million extension with the Timberwolves last July.
